Combined cable and rotary rig for drilling deep wells.



am 0 9 1 7 Y L U TU D B T N E T A P COMBINED CABLE AND ROTARY RIG FOR DRILLING DEEP WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1902.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l9? venro N0 MODEL.

COMBINED GABLE A ND MODEL.

L. U. SANDS, JR. ND ROTARY RIG FOR DRILLING DEEP WELLS. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 15, 1902.

PATENTED JULY 7,1903.

3 SHEET8SHEET 2.

' No. 732,785. PATENTED JULY 7, 1903.,

f L. c. SANDS, JR-

COMBINED G A BLE AND ROTARY RIG FOR DRILLING DEEP WELLS I APPLIOATION TILED MAY 15', 1902. no MODEL. 3 SHEETS-BHEET 3.

. a detached sectional view of the upper part UNITED STATES Patented July '7, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS C. SANDS, JR., OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO OIL WELL SUPPLY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED CABLE'AND ROTARY RIG FOR DRlLLiNG DEEP WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 732,785, dated July 7, 1903. Application filed May 15, 1902, Serial No. 107,481. (No model.

To all whom it may concern:v Be it known that I, LOUIS C. SANDS, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county'of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Cable and Rotary Rig for Drilling Deep Wells; and I hereby declare the following to be a-full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a combined cable and rotary rig embodying my invention, parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an end view at right angles to Fig. 1, the band-wheel and sand-reel omitted, looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the sand-reel, band-wheel, hoisting appatus, rotary table, bull-wheel, derrick-floor, and pump, the derrick and walking-beam be ing omitted for sake of clearness. Fig. 4 is ofthe samson-post and part of the walkingbeam, showing the vertical pivot of the walking-beam. Fig. 5 is a detached View, partly in section, of a barrel oil-saver which may be used in connection with the drill when required.

Like symbols refer to like parts Wherever they occur.

Myinvention relates to the construction of that class of devices employed for sinking deep wells wherein it is necessary to provide not only boring-tools for the penetration of clay, sand, uicksand, and like unstable material, butalso drills for the penetration of rock and like denser material which does not yield to the boring-tools, and has for its object such a combination ofcable or drill rig and rotary or boring rig as will facilitate the change from boring to drilling when nec-' essary without loss of time and the disadvantages attendant thereon.

In those oil regionssuch as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana -wherethere is a solid formation and but little tendency to caving what is known as the standard cable-rig, characterized by the Samson-post and walkingbeam for operating the drill-tool, &c., is commonly employed; but in other regions, as in the Texas oil-fields, where the formation is for the greater part composed of clay, sand, uicksand, and like unstable material, with occasional shells or strata of rock,'the standard cable-rig being unsuitable has been disforce the detritus from the well to the outside of the casing or tubing. Where rock strata or shell rock is encountered in boring this latter class of wells, the regular drills have to besubstituted for the rotary boringrig, and aside from the loss of time required to make the change in case of stubborn quicksands much trouble is frequently experienced from the settling of the sand around the easing and the consequent looking or sticking of the casing and of the tools. So far as I am aware there has not heretofore been devised such a combination of the cable and rotary rigs as will enable the operator to shift from one operation to the other without loss of time and with the avoidance of the difliculties hereinbefore noted.

In carrying out my invention I combine with a suitable derrick-floor a rotary table for the rotaryrig and a walking-beam for the cable-rig, said rotary table and walking-beam being adjustable to and from a common point on'the platform and relatively arranged so that by the temporary displacement of one or the other the rigs may be alternately operated in the same well, and such a combination embodies the main feature of my invention. In order that the walking-beam may be swung to and from the welldrilled to give clearance for the lines in controllingthe casing or rotating tubes of the rotary rig, the walking beam is provided with a vertical pivot on which it may be rotated horizon tally, and such a construction embodies a from the band-wheel shaft of the cable-rig and like details of construction, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which itappertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, A A indicate the mudsills, B the main sills, and B the subsill, the latter of which supports the jack-posts G C and D D of the band-wheel E and sand-reel F, while the main sill B also supports the Samson-post G of the walking-beam II. The Samson-post may be braced in the usual manner, as at g g.

I indicates the derrick-floor, and t i the corners of the derrick. The (derrick which is shown broken off) may be of any desired or usual height and provided above with the usualcrown-pnlley(notshown)forthe passage of the drill-cable, which leads from the bullwheel K. The bull-wheel K will be driven in the usual manner from the bandwheel E, the shaft of the band-wheel being driven by belt from the pulley of the engine-shaft, (not shown,) while the sand-reel F will be provided with the sandreel lever f, sand-reel reach f, and sand-reel handle f or equivalent means for shifting the sand-reel into and out of engagement with the band-wheel when the sand-pump is to be used.

The walkingbeam II has its usual horizontal or working pivot h, but in addition thereto is mounted on the post by means of a vertical pivot or cone-bearing 7t, (see Fig. 4,) or equivalent means is provided, so that the walking'beam may be swung to one side horizontally or with a rotary movement away from the well-opening to clear the center of the derrick for the lines used in controlling the casing or rotating tubes and which lead from the hoisting-gear of the rotary rig to the top of the derrick.

The walking-beam H is operated from a wrist-pin on the crank-shaft E of the bandwheel E by the pitman H or in other suitable manner.

L indicates a track extending from one side of the derrick-floor I toward the center thereof to a point over the well-opening and below the normal position of the inner or work end of the walking-beam II. On said track moves a suitable sled-truck, carrying the rotary table M pertaining to the rotary rig, together with the gearing m for operating the table, the latter being actuated by chain belt 772 and sprocket devices 771. from a sprocket- -whecl n on the shaft N, located on one side of the derrick-floor adjacent to the samsonpost G and opposite the bull-wheel K, said shaft N being in turn driven through short intermediate shaft 0 and chain belt from the shaft of the band-wheel E. The intermediate or short shaft 0 is driven direct from the shaft of band-wheel E by the link belt When the sled or truck carrying the rotary table M audits gearing is to be withdrawn from its operative position or the center of the derrick-floor and out of the way of the walking-beam, the link belt can be displaced and the truck then run back to the side of the derrick-floor.

Immediately below and substantially in line with the shaft N is the hoisting drum or reel P of the rotary rig, from which the lines or ropes used for controlling the casing or rotating tubes of the boring devices pass in the usual manner to a crown-pulley at the top of the derrick. The shaft of this hoisting drum or reel P is provided with the loose sprocket-wheel p, which is driven from the shaft N by the chain belt H and with the clutch and clutch-lever Q, whereby the hoisting-drum P may be thrown into and out of action, and itis also provided with a suitable brake R and brake-lever for controlling the drum, all of which may be such as shown or of any other approved character.

S indicates the steam-pump of the rotary rig, which is preferably located on the opposite side of the derrick-floor from the track L for the truck which carries the rotary table M.

The general arrangement of the several devices may be varied at will, butis preferably that shown, (see Fig. 3,) the rotary hoisting devices opposite the bull-wheel and adjacent to the samson-post of the walking-beam and the pump opposite to the track for the truck of the rotary table.

The casing or rotating tubing, which is supported by the rotary table, and the connections between the pump and casing or tubing have been omitted for the sake of clearuess, because they form no part of the present invention and are well known to those skilled in the art. The omitted devices may be of any well-known character.

In Fig. 5 I have shown one well-known form of barrel oil-saver (commonly used for drilling in flowing wells) in order to make it clear how the drill may be used to advantage where it is desirable to maintain the column of water in the casing in cases where it is desirable to prevent the settling of quicksand, &c., around the casing.

In Fig. 5 the drilling-cable is put through the tube 5 and packed with rope yarn or its equivalent, while the tube 5 moves with the cable (like a piston-rod) through the gland 6 on the cap of the casing-head.

The construction and combination of the coacting elements of the joint cable and rotary rig being substantially of the character hereinbefore pointed out, the devices will operate as follows: It being assumed that the rotary rig is in operation, (the walking-beam Hhaving been swung to one side,) the rotary table M will occupy the center of the derrick, as shown in Fig. 3, and will contain the casing or tubing, as the case maybe, which is armed at its lower end with a boring-tool and held and controlled by the rope or line, which passes over a crownpulley at the top of the derrick and down to the hoisting-drum P in the usual manner, which rope or line can now occupy the center of the derrick, as the walking-beam H has been swungto one side. The casing or tubing is then connected with the pump P, and the gear m for rotating the tableM is coupled by link belt m with shaft N and receives power from the shaft of the band-wheel E, the rotary rig thereafter operating in the usual manner until some obstruction, such as rock, which requires the drill, is encountered. -When this occurs, the link belt m, which drives the gearing m, (which in turn rotates table M,) is displaced, the drum P thrown into action, and the tubing, with its boring-tool, withdrawn and turned to one side of the derrick-floor, which permits the inner or work end of the walking-beam to be brought to the center or over the well, the sled or truck with the rotary table is run back to the side of the derrick-floor, the drillcable with drill is connected to the walkingbeam, and the drill-rig is ready for operating in its usual manner. In case the well being drilled is in a formation where there are quicksands andthecasing remains in the well, an oil-saver of the general character shown in Fig. 5 may be applied to the easing-head and the steam-pump connected up,

so as to maintain the water-pressure in the casing, in which case the drill-cable should be of wire in order to drop easily through the column of water in the casing.

Amongthe advantages due to my combined cable and rotary rig are the ability to change from the boring to the drilling operation and back without loss of time and with the avoidance of looking or sticking of tools and casing in unstable formations Where there is ,quicksand or caving is liable to occur, the

increase of power gained by driving the rotary rig from the band-wheel shaft of the cable-rig, as Well as the greater security, by reason of the fact that the band-Wheel belt being a friction device and not a positive driver will slip before any obstruction to the boring-tools will break the rotary driving mechanism.

Having thus'described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a combined cable and rotary rig for sinking wells,the combination with aderrick, of a rotary table movable to and from the wellopening of the derrick, and driving mechanism adapted to actuate the rotary table, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a combined cable and rotary rig for sinking wells, the combination with a derrick of a hoisting-drum, a rotary table movable to and from the well-opening of the derrick, and driving mechanism adapted to actuate the rotary table, or the hoisting-drum, substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

3. In a combined cable and rotary rig for sinking wells,the combination with a derrick, of oppositely disposed hoisting-drum and bull wheel, a rotary table movable to and from thewell-opening of the derrick, and driving mechanism adapted to actuate the rotary table or the bull-wheel or hoisting drum, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4:. In a rig for sinking wells, the combina tion with a derrick, of a horizontally and vertically pivoted walking-beam for carrying the drilling-tools, and means for vibrating said walking-beam, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of May, 1902.

LOUIS o. SANDS, JR.

Witnesses:

JOHN EATON, E. H. GooDwIN. 

